To Fix A Broken Path
by actressen
Summary: "She could see what her mother had talked about, now." This would be her end, but it would be worth it, if she succeeded. They were on a broken path, thinking it would lead them somewhere far nicer than it truly did, but they didn't have to be. Not if she could veer their course and set them on the road to a better future. Implied Arwen, possible Mergana. Part I of III.


**_Author's Note_: **I just started watching _Merlin _a few weeks ago (I live under a rock, what can I say?) and felt a need to foray into the fandom, so hi! This fic is mostly **gen**, with some implied **Arwen** and possible **Mergana **near the end. I would say it could go either way, so please let me know your shipping preferences. To ship, or not to ship? That is my question (and no, Merthur is _not_ an option, sorry-don't have anything against it, but it's just not my cuppa). I'm planning on doing this story as a three-shot, so expect two more installments. The second will likely be the most substantial. Just in case anyone was wondering. Anyway, onto the story!

**_Disclaimer_: **[Insert witty statement about how I don't own _Merlin _here]

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**To Fix A Broken Path**

**_Part I: _**_Ingrid_

She could see what her mother had talked about, now.

The magnificent towers of white stone, the bustling market. The knights in their polished chainmail with blood-red cloaks billowing behind them.

She ran her fingers along the rough stone as she walked through the magnificent arched entryway to Camelot.

A knight looked at her suspiciously, unsure of what to make of her tears and awe-struck expression, so she reeled her emotions in as best she could. She needed to focus. The splendors she was seeing with her own eyes for the very first time only reminded her of her purpose.

* * *

_"You _do_ understand what you are about to do, do you not?" _

_ Ingrid looked up at her friend and mentor, the closest thing she had to a father. He radiated wisdom and power, but his blue eyes were haunted, the result of a lifetime of loss and anguish. _

_ "Yes, Uncle Merlin, I understand perfectly well," she responded, unable to hide her exasperation. _

_ He smoothed her hair fondly. _

_ "He would be proud of you, you know. Incredibly proud, just like I am. Just like we all are."_

_ Ingrid wrapped her arms around him in a hug, resting her ear against his chest, her head not reaching the top of his beloved red neckerchief. The steady beating of his heart reminded her of her childhood, when she would sit on his lap while he told her a story, usually in an attempt to distract her from the disturbing sounds that floated in from the chaos outside. _

_ "You don't have to do this, Ingrid."_

_ "Yes, yes I do," she insisted. "It would be an insult to my father's memory, to everything you and my mother have done and sacrificed, to do anything less than everything I can. It is my turn now."_

_ Merlin sighed. There were so many unknowns involved in what they were about to do. He had no idea if there was even a possibility it could work. All he knew for sure was that once she left, she was never coming back. _

_ "It is not right that you must suffer for our mistakes. For _my _mistakes. You know I would take your place if I could."_

_ "Of course I do. But we both know I am the only one who can make this journey. Time does not like the presence of duplicates."_

_ "Unfortunately, that is indeed what the books say."_

_ "It is nearing midnight, Uncle Merlin. We must go."_

_ "Yes we must, mustn't we? Remember—"_

_ "Work quickly. Avoid contact with mother or father. If I succeed, I will be erased from time. If I fail, I will still soon fade, as I am disrupting the balance of the universe," Ingrid parroted the major talking points of the time-travel lectures Merlin had been giving her repeatedly over the past few months._

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Ingrid knocked on the door hesitantly.

Even with the directions her mother and Merlin had ground into her mind until she knew them like she knew her own name, she had still managed to get lost. Luckily, a cross-looking guard was easily subdued by a flirtatious smile and batting eyelashes, and redirected her to the Court Physician's chambers (she had gone one corridor too far before making a left).

The elderly man who answered the door looked just as she had imagined him. Gaius had died when she was but an infant, too early for her to have any memory of him. Still, he was a prominent figure in Merlin's stories, and she was amused to discover that Gaius's overly-active brows, like two bushy white caterpillars placed unevenly on his face, were just as expressive and comical as Merlin had described.

"May I help you?" He asked, his eyes flickering about her face.

"Actually, I was looking for Merlin? Is he in?"

"No, he's out in the stables. Do you wish to leave a message?"

"If you don't mind, I'll just wait here until he returns." Ingrid knew she was being rather forward, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Gaius still stood in the doorway, seemingly unsure of how to respond.

"Will you not let me in?"

The question shook Gaius out of his stupor. He moved aside, leaving her room to pass through.

"Pardon me…"

"Ingrid," she supplied.

"Well then, pardon me, miss _Ingrid_, but have we met before?"

She could feel his sharp eyes scrutinizing her features.

"No, but you have met my parents." Ingrid's heart started to race. She knew that the more attention she drew to her identity, the more she divulged about the future, the quicker time would catch up with her and "resolve" the paradox she represented.

"And who might they be?"

Ingrid bit her lip. She had no idea how long it would be before Merlin returned—it would be best to wait until he arrived before revealing any further information.

"I'm not at liberty to say at the moment. When will Merlin be back?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.

Gaius raised an eyebrow. It was just as intimidating as Merlin had described it. In an attempt to look casual and at ease, Ingrid sat down tentatively at the edge of a work bench.

"What is your business with Merlin?" Gaius sat down across from Ingrid, looking at her intently. She was quickly regretting her decision to sit down, because now she felt like a suspect being interrogated.

She took a calming breath and closed her eyes, needing a moment to collect herself. This was _Gaius_. The man who Merlin looked up to like a father. A good, kind man. He would not hurt her. She only had this one chance to save her father, and countless others. She needed to pull herself together.

"I understand that you are skeptical of me, and of my intentions," Ingrid began. Though she did not intend to give any explanations just yet, she could see no reason to be anything but honest. She only hoped that Gaius could hear her sincerity. "But you must believe me when I say that Merlin must be present before I give any explanations. And I will explain everything, I _promise_, but I also know that I might only have one chance to do so. I have made considerable sacrifices to be here. It has been a long and hard journey, one made on the behalf of the people that I love. I wish only to help you."

Gaius said nothing, but nodded. It relieved Ingrid, if only slightly. She paid close attention to her body, from her fingers and toes to the beat of her heart, and shuffled through memories in her head, on high alert for anything out of the ordinary—anything that could suggest that her time was running short. The literature had made it perfectly clear what the result of such a journey, interfering with the fabric of time, would be, but neither she nor Merlin could find any description detailing with the time frame of such consequences, nor whether or not there would be any warning, not to mention any information of what those warnings would be, should they be at all.

She drummed her fingernails against the tabletop, a nervous habit that she usually managed to refrain from.

When would Merlin be back?

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**Please review! Let me know what you think, I really do take your opinions into consideration in my writing. **

**Also, if anyone is interested in doing a collaborative (co-authored) fic, please let me know, either in a PM or a review. It can be for _Merlin_, but it doesn't have to be. I'm also fond of _Inception_, Nolanverse Batman, Marvel Cinematic Universe, _Doctor Who_, _Sherlock_, _Star Trek _(reboot universe), and _Once Upon a Time_. Crossovers and fusions are cool too. But please, let me know!**

**Thanks for reading! **


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